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A Mustang Generation graduate looks at Mustang II:
'A Classy Little Thoroughbred'
By Ron Robinson
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In the Spring of '64, life at the University of Arkansas had settled into its usual light-headed mood. The weather was too good, finals were still weeks away and things could wait.
As incoming editor of the Arkansas Traveler, it was getting a little more difficult with each sunny day to climb up three flights of stairs at Hill Hall and get out another U of A daily. However, a letter that arrived in early April mad Spring of '64 the most exciting any 21-year-old could imagine.
The letter was from Ford announcing the introduction of a new car and inviting the Traveler editor to Dearborn for the unveiling. It took me about five seconds to move to one of the old Underwoods and airmail back an acceptance.
I flew to Detroit, spent a day being breifed on the car, and met Mustang.
Forty of us drove the car off the Ford Dearborn Proving Grounds and back to our college campuses for the remainder of the Spring term. The excitement created by the cars - all Calypso red convertibles - was hardly expected.
Almost every time I went to my car during those next weeks, people were standing around, asking for rides and wanting to know more about "the car you can design yourself." You would have thought that the car was the Ozarks' first automobile rather than just the first Mustang.
That summer I couldn't stomach the thought of driving my old '56 two-door so I bought the Mustang, starting an eight-year, 80,000-mile relationship.
The only trouble I ever had with the car was keeping the Mustang symbol on it. After four hood ornaments and five gas caps were stolen, my problems were over. And when the Mustang and I parted ways last year, the car still had excellent trade-in value.
That car - like anyone's first new car - will always hold a special place in my life. And that car has carved out a special place in automobile history as a classic in styling and marketing. Sales of almost three million Mustangs in the last nine years are testimony to that.
We members of the so-called "Mustang Generation" are nearing 30 now, but apparently Ford engineers have been going like 60 to make the Mustang Idea a better one.
New invitation
As one of the Mustang's original owners, I was invited back to Dearborn to test-drive Mustang II, which Ford is introducing this fall.
My first look at the newest Ford foal came in early June at the company's Michigan Proving Grounds in Romeo. And my first impression was one of surprise.
You could still tell that the car was distinctively Mustang, but it was lower, wider and classier. From the back, it had a Mercedes look. From the front, it had a rounder, smoother, sportier flavor than its predecessor.
But the really big changes started to show up when I got behind the wheel. Standard features of the Mustang II surpass even many of the options offered on the original car. These include a tachometer, woodgrain paneling on the dash, four-speed transmission, anmeter, front disc brakes and rack-and-pinion steering.
The interior of the little car can be described in two words: classy comfort. "Smallness means economy," a lot of car ads say these days, but Ford didn't scrimp on extras. I had to keep reminding myself that although the car felt full-size, it was still a sports compact. A convenient console put the gear shift, emergency brake and storage compartment at my fingertips. Heavily-padded vinyl seats provided armchair comfort and a well-designed dash enhanced the cockpit convenience. And the carpeting - well, any interior decorator would be proud to recommend it.
The only interior failing would have to be the proverbial Mustang problem - backseat legroom. Of course, not everybody's six feet and 185 like me, but it's tight. This situation is helped by contoured backs on the front seats that give a bit more leg room.
For my test drive around the three-mile-plus proving grounds, I selected the two-door hardtop because it reminded me of my original '65. One surprise was the fact that the V-6 is the top engine and, frankly, I wasn't expecting such a peppy ride from a six.
My first time around the track, which is loaded with curves and steep grades, was like a Sunday drive. You feel a little hesitant to "push" a prototype around a professional track and wonder how stupid you'll feel if something goes wrong. But confidence in myself and the car built as I got familiar with the layout and the Mustang II.
Stability noticeable
This car feels more stable than its founding father. It's hard for me to put my finger on why, since my expertise as an automobile engineer goes about as far as the self-service island at a local gas station. All I know is that at low speed and a 70 the car held the road like a wide-track and never gave any indication of drifting around curves. The responsiveness of the steering, the car's ability to absorb bumps and the overall weight of the Mustang probably have something to do with the "feel" but I'll leave it to the experts to tell you why.
For a compact the car is extra quite, too. Of course, if you don't watch yourself and the car, you'll likely to be buzzed into incoherency. A buzzer sounds off if seat belst aren't fastened, door are open, lights are left on, or you leave the key in the ignition. These safety features are handy reminders, but I still haven't gotten used to cars that fuss at you when they don't like something. I guess I'm not progressive enough, but I'm willing to learn.
And I'd better learn since government regulations require all '74 models to have devices that won't allow a car to start until passengers are buckled in with a lap and shoulder harness. It's kind of like castor oil. You may not like it, but you know it's good for you.
After completing the test drive, I had a chance to inspect all the Mustang II models, which were on display for national magazine editors. My favorite was the three-door fastback that Ford calls a 2 + 2. Its styling is more like a sports car than the standard two door. With an easy-to-lift back door and fold down rear seat, its practicality is tops, too. In addition to providing room for four passengers, with the backseat down, there's plenty of stowage space for luggage and camping gear. The familiar Mach 1 is the other fastback offering.
For my money Ford has done it again. They've taken the best of the old, added the newest engineering techniques and mae the '74 Mustang ive up to its heritage.
"Get a horse," used to be the auto skeptic's favorite jeer. But that jeer may have been prophetic because in '74 tens of thousands will "get a horse' - a thoroughbred called Mustang II.
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